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www.truthworks.com 19 APR 04 devotion archive |
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DAVID VS THE NBA I tell you the Truth, Sorry it’s been so long. I’ve been pretty much “couch bound” for the past couple weeks. I suffered a knee injury about a month ago and underwent arthroscopic surgery on the 13th and have spent a lot of time on the couch. Being assigned to the couch in the den and also being a sports buff, my TV has been prominently tuned to ESPN. I haven’t watched so much baseball in years! I’ve also caught up on some reading all the latest sports news.
One item that deeply took my interest was a segment on a young man by the name
of Dwight If you’ve never heard of Dwight Howard, don’t be surprised. He’s just a high school senior who attends a private Christian school in Atlanta. And when you begin to hear about this kid, you’ll know that his parents don’t have him attending a Christian school just to keep him out of trouble. This young man has a deep faith in Christ. Even though young Dwight stands almost 7 feet tall, most people are already talking about how naïve he is and how he’ll get torn apart in the NBA. If you’ve kept up with the NBA over the past several decades, you’ll have to agree that the league has almost turned ugly as far as decency and morality. With the exception of a few, such as David Robinson, the NBA seems to pride itself in being a land of thugs. Young Dwight may truly be naïve. He told the reporter that God gave him a vision where he saw a cross on the chest of the NBA logo. He told the reporter that he believed God was calling him to go to the NBA to proclaim the salvation of Jesus Christ. That’s truly a tall order even for a tall boy who’s barely 18 years old. Well, I’m not here to prophesy the future of Dwight Howard. I honestly know little more than what I saw reported. I’m not announcing that God is sending the NBA a missionary that’s going to change the game. But what I did see in this young man and his parents was a faith that you don’t often see. These parents realize that they’re about to send their son into the lion’s den. They understand that if this attitude of “saving the NBA for Jesus” catches on, this boy with be abused and persecuted by a lot of powerful people – including a lot of players in the NBA. And that faith I heard in their voices wasn’t weakened by the thoughts of what just might happen to this kid. Sometimes we think that it’s easy for a kid with so much talent and such athletic ability to step up and share Jesus with anyone who crosses his path. I disagree. I think it takes the same amount of faith for you and I to share Christ as it does for people with gifts that we don’t have. I believe we make excuses at times that we just aren’t as articulate, don’t have the look or we just don’t have the gift of evangelism. Sometimes we need to be reminded that God equips the called and doesn’t necessarily call the already equipped.
1 Samuel 17: Young Dwight Howard is about to take on a giant that he can’t even fathom. But when you see the faith in this boy’s eyes, you can’t help but think about David and his faith in God. David knew that it wasn’t him who would over come – it was the God of creation. 48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. I have no idea if Dwight Howard will make any impact on the NBA spiritually or even athletically. He may not survive training camp. But I do know that if his faith in God remains firm, God is going to use this young man for things beyond his imagination. And I believe God will do the same with you. It’s not about your ability. It’s all about the God you serve. He overcomes. He perseveres. And He wins in the end. Is God calling you out of the comfort zone today? I encourage you to take a step - a step of faith. Your Servant, <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< Prayer Requests (and Praises!)
Please pray for a couple young ladies who are in the Dominican Republic on a
mission trip this week. The Dominican has experienced some turmoil in the
midst of the Haitian uprising, so please remember Felicia and Jeanna as they
reach out to Dominican children who need Christ.
“Hey
Randy.
“Dearest
Randy,
“Please pray for my Dad and my
Mom and us, as my Dad isn't doing very well, unless the Lord intervenes, he
won't be here very long. He is very short of breath and is so swollen, and they
are giving him medicine every 3 to 4 hours to help with his heart and breathing. Please reply if you have prayer requests, comments or simply need an open ear. I always enjoy hearing from you.
<*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< Copyright © 2004 Truth Works Publishing. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise specified, all scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV.
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